The University of Georgia (UGA) has announced the closure of its main campus on September 26 and 27 due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Helene. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and high winds, potentially reaching unprecedented levels in the Athens area. The decision was made with the safety and security of faculty, staff, and students in mind.
Further updates will be provided as they become available.
The School of Law buildings will also be closed on these dates. Events and activities scheduled for these days will be rescheduled once operations return to normal. Organizers are advised to inform any scheduled guests and registered attendees about UGA’s closure.
The law library will close at midnight tonight, with no swipe card access available on September 26 and 27. Updates regarding the reopening of the library will be communicated based on ongoing assessments.
Faculty instructors have been given discretion to decide whether to hold classes online at their scheduled times, post asynchronous lectures, or reschedule them. This flexibility is due to accreditor rules, institution-wide demands on IT staff, and potential personal impacts on staff due to weather-related issues.
Clinical programs are also affected by this closure. Students should not be required to appear in person on campus or elsewhere. Clinic faculty or staff should avoid coming to campus unless ethical duties to clients or courts necessitate it, in which case remote options should be prioritized.
Students with class-specific questions are encouraged to contact their professors, while those with general inquiries should reach out to Dean Dennis or Ms. Tickles. Employees should direct their questions to their supervisors who are part of the Crisis Response Group.
The primary source for emergency news related to UGA is emergency.uga.edu. The law school will update its homepage and X (formerly Twitter) based on information from this site and other UGA communications such as UGAAlert.
Emails regarding law school-specific impacts will be sent as necessary, along with text messages via ugaLAWalert for those who opt-in by texting “ugaLAWalert” to 877-804-2955.
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